Roller-skate.



E E. HARDY.

ROLLER SKATE.

"APPLICATION FILEDMAR. U1. 191s.

Patented a 2 9, 1917.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[OH/755's is.

E. E. HARDY.

ROLLER SKATE."

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. l9l 6.

1,228, 1 1 1 A Patent-ed May 29, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EMF-RY n. HARDY, or BAYSIDE, new YORK.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented May29, 1917.

Application filed March 18, 1916. Serial No. 84,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, EMERY E. HARDY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayside, in the county ofQueens and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Roller-Skates, of which the following is aspecification. My invention-relates to improvements in rollerskates,'and the object ofmy improvement is to improve the wheel andbearing construction features.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a side elevation of a rollerskate embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the other end.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the same.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view, on an enlarged scale, of the front wheelbearings and adjacent parts, the front wheel members being Omitted.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line m a; of Fig. 1.

Fig.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation on-the same v scale as Fig. 1, of a modifiedform of rear wheel construction.

Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views of other modifications.

Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional views corre-. sponding to that shown inFig. 7 0f the modifications shown in Figs. 8 and 10 respectively. I

Fig. 13 is a side elevation on a considerably reduced scale of a skateshowing modi fied forms of wheel constructions.

Fig. 14 is a side elevation, on the same scale as Fig. 6, of the frontwheel structure shown in Fig. 13.

F ig. 15 is a sectional view on the line a a of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a side elevation on a reduced scale of the cushion membershown in Figs. 14 and 15..

Fig. 17 is a sectional view, corresponding to Fig. 6, and on the samescale, showing another modified form of front wheel construction- V Fig.18 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 12, showinor the modifiedform of wheel construction sliown in Fig. 17 applied to the form of rearwheel construction shown in the said figure.

F s- .9 see ieeal View showi th 7 is a sectional View on the line 3/ y eof Fig. 1.

same form of wheel construction applied to the cushion wheel shown inFig. 15.

. My improved roller skate. comprises certain general features ofconstruction which may correspond more or less to the formofconstruction shown and described in my Patent No.-1,152,813 datedSept. 7, 1915, such as the frame 10 and the means for securing the sameto the foot and the supporting means on the lower side for connectingthe frame with the shafts for the wheels, comprising U-shaped framesupports, respectively the frame support 11 at the front side havingside arms 12 for connecting with the front shaft 13, and the rear framesupport 14 having side arms 15 for connecting with the rear shaft 16.Also the tip ends 17 of the arms 12 and 15 are turned outwardly toengage with a positioning washer 18, as in the patent referred to. Thebearings and the wheels mounted on the shafts 13 and 16 are of specialconstruction, as will be described herewith. The details of theconstruction for the front wheel and the rear wheel for the style shownin Fig. 1 are similar'except for size. Considering the front wheel, thesame is composed of two similar and independently mounted members 19preferably made of a single stamping of sheet metal, and having at themiddle a raceway 20 for a single rowof balls 21. The periphery 22 may becylindrical for a short; distance, suitably to form a tread, and is inthe form of an inwardly directed flange, the free edge of which meetsand is in bearing engagement with the edge of the mating wheel member 19opposed thereto, as shown at 23 in Fig. 6.

At the middle the material is curved suitably to form the raceway 20andat the in ner end of the said raceway there is aninwardly directed,diminutive, cylindrical flange 24, the inner free edge of which abutsand is in bearing engagement with the washer 25 which fills the spacebetween the said diminutive flanges 24 on the mating wheel members 19.'

The raceways 20 of the two. mating wheel members 19 are on the outwardlydisposed sides thereof, so that the individual wheel members 19 arepositioned by the balls 21 on one side and the central washer 25 on theother side, and each independently of the other. I i

Tlhe bearing construction for the bal1s2l 11g is such as to provide arigid and positively positioned raceway for each set of balls, and isformed-in each case of a pair of cone members, respectively an innercone member 26 and an outer cone member 27 each having a cone surface28.

The inner cone member 26 has a cylindrical periphery 29 that fits insidethe diminutive flange 2 1 that is opposed thereto.

Both of the cone members 26 and- 27 are internally screw-threaded to fitthe thread on the shaft 13.

The periphery 30 of the outer cone mem ber 27 is hexagnonal, suitably tobe engaged with a wrench.

The shaft 13 has the end portions fiatted as shown in Fig. 6, at 31, foran appreciable distance, suitably to receive a washer 32 with anoncircular hole that fits over the same.

Nuts 33 on the ends of the shaft 13 hold the bearing parts together andin position on the frame supporting arms 12.

In the assembly of the bearing parts the central washer 25 is placed atthe middle of the shaft 13 and the two inner cone members 26 are screwedonto the shaft and brought to bear against the said central washer 25,the raceway 28 being on the side remote from the central washer 25. Thenthe wheel members 19 are placed in position, with the diminutive flanges24L engaged with the central washer 25 and the periphery 29 of the innercone members 26. The outer cone members 27 are next screwed onto theshaft 18, and while still separated from the inner cone members theballs 21' are slipped into place between the opposed raceways 28, afterwhich the outer cone members 27. are

screwed tightly against the inner cone members 26.

Then the shaft ends are slipped into the slots 3-1 in the arms 12 of thesupport, the flatted side 31 being in engagement with one of the wallsof the said slot, after which in order there are placed on the shaft thepositioning washers 18 in abutment with the outer faces of the arms 12,the washers 32 with the flat sided holes, and finally the clamping nuts33.

It will thus be noted that the wheel members 19 are each independentlysupported by its individualball bearing, so that each may operateindependently of the other, and they may operate also togetheressentially as a single wheel. Such independent operation would occurwhen turning corners and cooperation as a single wheel would take placein a straight away movement, or

whenever theperipheral speed of the two wheel members happens to be thesame.

In the case of the rear wheels, these are mounted on the end portions'ofthe shaft 16, the said end portions being screw threaded, and having aflat side 81, fitting the slot 35 in the arm 15. A positioning sleeve 36is mounted on the middle portion of the shaft 16, the said sleeve andshaft being secured together by indentations 37 and 4&5 that are inregistration, and the sleeve fitting between the arms 15. On each sidethe end of the sleeve abuts with the inner face of the arm 15 and thepositioning washer 18 is opposed to the outer face thereof, and one ofthe hexagonal headed cone members serves as a clamping nut to hold theseishing washer as, the locking washer with the non-circular hole, andfinally the clamping nut The wheel members 21 in the raceways 28.

V In some cases a single wheel member 19 or 19 may be used instead oftwo or the duplex construction as described above. Examples of suchconstruction are shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, as applied to the rearwheels.

In Fig. 10 the wheel members 19 are positioned on the end portions ofthe shaft 16, as in Fig. 7, and the bear-construction is changed tocorrespond, as shown in the sectional view in Fig. 12. This differs fromthe construction of-the said Fig. 7 in the omission of the innermostwheel member 19 19 ride on the balls and the corresponding set of balls21, the

so-called outer cone member 27, and the inner cone member 26, theso-called central washer 25 bearing against the positioning Washer 18;

In the construction shown in Fig. 8 the two wheel elements 19 arepositioned be tween the arms 15 instead of at the outer sides thereof,the frame connection or support 1 1 being U-shaped and reinforced by athird arm 15 positioned between the wheel members19 and secured to theframe by one of the rivets 13 which holds the U- shaped support 14 tothe said frame 10 The bearing construction differs from that shown inFig. 6 in the use of the said third arm 15, which. has a slot -14, asshown in Fig. 11, forengaging with the shaft 16 and in the use of two ofthe central or end bearing washers 25, one for each wheel member 19 andon each side of the said third arm.

In the construction shown in Fig. 9 there are two' U-shaped supports 1%,one for each wheel member 19, whereby the third arm,

between the two wheel members is composed of two of the arms, 15 side byside, the other arm, 15 of each. support 14: serving as the outside arm,one on each side.

The special feature of the skate shown in Fig. 18 resides in the wheels,combined with the bearing construction that applies particularly to theduplex or double wheel construction, and involves the use of a rim 38 ofsome form of cushioning material, such as hard rubber, which can beturned or molded to shape. The wheel members 19 are of reduced diameterto allow for the thickness of the rim 39 or rim proper, and

the opposed free edges of the tread E22 are separated by a spacesuitable to admit between them an annular depending flange 4.0 thatextends inwardly as a web from the middle of the said rim proper 39. Thetread 22 fits against the inner surface of the rim proper 39.

Accordingly the interior of the cushion member 38 is divided by thecentral, flangelike wall 40 into two circular chambers l1. The wheelmembers 19 it within these chambers, as shown in Fig. 15.

Preferably the web 40 is of the same thickness as the central or endbearing washer 25.

In the modifications shown in Figs. 17, 18, and 19 a different style ofwheel member is shown, and applied to the wheel arrangements shown inFigs. 6, 12, and 15, the same difference appearing in all, and residingin the omission of the cylindrical form of flange 24, and referred to asa diminutive flange, and which serves as the intervening member betweenthe balls 21 and the end bearing washer 25 in the stylesheretoforedescribed, and in using in lieu thereof, as shown at 24:,simply the thickness of the material of which the wheel member is made.This permits of a narrower form of wheel construction.

It will be noted that with a given set of parts made as described thereis no provision for adjustment, and that the parts must be madecorrectly to operate properly, the obvious consequence of thisarrangement being that there is no chance for m'is-adjustment, or forchange after once being put together, or binding the parts. If the partsare put together to run freely they will remain so.

I claim as my invention 1. In a roller skate, a shaft provided with araceway, a set of balls in the said raceway, and a wheel memberoperatively mounted on the said shaft by means comprising in combinationa raceway on the said wheel member engaged with the said balls that isopen on one side and a fixed bearing engaged with the other side of thesaid wheel.

2. In a roller skate, a wheel member havwheel member on the said shaftwith the said'balls engaged with the said raceway comprising incombination with the said raceway a fixed bearing engaged with the otherside of the said wheel.

3. In a roller skate, a duplex wheel structure comprising two opposedseparate wheel members, each having a raceway that is open on the outerside, a shaft passing through the said members, cone members mounted onthe said shaft combining to form a pair of generally V-shap'ed raceways,means for securing the said cone members on the said shaft so that thesaid V-shaped raceways are in fixed spaced relation, and a set of ballspositioned in each of the said V-shaped raoeways and cooperating eachwith one of the said raceways in the wheel member.-

l. In a roller skate, a cushion wheel structure comprising a pair ofwheel members, a shaft, means for operatively mounting each of the'saidwheel members on the said shaft, independently of the other, and acushion member mounted on the peripheries of the said wheel members.

5. In aroller skate, a shaft, a pair of cone members mounted on the saidshaft, and having cooperating cone surfaces forming a raceway, balls inthe said raceway, one of the cone members having a cylindricalperiphery, a bearing washer on the said shaft and positioned in abutmentwith the last named cone member, and a wheel member having a racewayengaged with the said balls and having a portion that fills the spacebetween the said balls and the said bearing washer and engages with thesaid cylindrical periphery.

6. A roller skate having a duplex wheel structure comprising a shaft, abearing washer mounted thereon, inner cone members positioned one oneach side of the said washer, outer cone members in abutment with thesaid inner cone members, a row of balls engaged with each of the opposedcone pairs, and wheel members positioned one between each of the saidrows of balls and the said bearing washer and having a raceway engagedwith the opposed row of balls.

7. In a roller skate, a wheel composed of a single piece of sheetmaterial comprising a flat, annularly, and radially positioned bodyportlon, a tread portion at the periphery of the said body portion, abearing portionat the interior edge of the said body portion, and thesaid bearing portion being in the form of a raceway suitable forengaging with a single row of balls and the said bearing portion havingon. the inner edge, on the side spaced relation, a cushion membermounted on the said wheel members, comprising a tread portion resting onthe peripheries of the said Wheel members and a positioning flange ofannular form extendlng lnwardly from the said tread portion andpositioned 15 between the opposed faces of the said Wheel members.

EMERY E. HARDY.

Vitnesses K. E. CRANDALL, ELIZABETH J. GRANDALL.

Copies of this'patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents;

' Washington, I). C.

